Networking Hardware

Brocade Adds New Scale-Out Solutions and SDN Support

• By Leila Meyer
• 11/06/14

Brocade, a networking provider for data centers, has introduced a new distributed chassis solution based on the Brocade ICX 7750; a new enterprise campus stackable switch, the Brocade ICX 7450; and support for OpenFlow 1.3 for software-defined networking (SDN) applications.

According to the company, these additions to Brocade's "Effortless Network" strategy will help campuses "transform their edge networks to support mobility, social and cloud data traffic as they transition to the New IP," or virtualized Internet protocol network. Specifically, the new Brocade ICX 7450 is designed to support applications such as video conferencing and virtual desktop infrastructure and to deliver power to high-definition displays directly from the switch.

Key features of the new distributed chassis technology available with the Brocade ICX 7750 include:

• 10/40 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) port density and high availability in a fixed platform;
• Distributed deployment architecture to eliminate the need for expensive and rigid chassis solutions;
• Scale-out architecture enabling up to 12 Brocade ICX 7750 switches to be stacked across the campus; and
• Consolidated management touchpoints and support for SDN to automate network configuration tasks.

Key features of the new Brocade ICX 7450 switch include:

• Stacking scalability with up to 12 switches per stack, 160 Gbps of stacking bandwidth, and long-distance stacking using open-standards QSFP+ ports to enable single-point management across the campus;
• Unique modular design with three expansion slots for a choice of 1, 10 or 40 GbE uplinks; and
• Power over HDBaseT (PoH) to power video surveillance and video conferencing equipment, VDI terminals and HD displays directly from the switch.

Key features of OpenFlow 1.3 support include:

• Brocade OpenFlow Hybrid Port Mode support for OpenFlow forwarding and normal routing traffic forwarding; and
• Universal support for OpenFlow in Brocade ICX switches, whether deployed individually, in mixed stacks or in distributed stacks.

In related Brocade news, the company has partnered with Aruba Networks in joint product development efforts, resulting in new product releases of Brocade Network Advisor 12.3, Aruba Airwave 8.0 and Brocade FastIron 8.0.20 with Aruba ClearPass CoA support, and all Brocade ICX products now fully support the Brocade/Aruba integrated portfolios.

The Brocade ICX 7450 switch will be available in November, starting at $3,095. Further information about the new solutions can be found on Brocade's site.